Amy Van Dyken Rouen severs spine in ATV crash

14 Sep 2000: A close up of Amy Van Dyken of the USA as she looks on during the USA and Australia Swim Training at the Sydney International Aquatic Center before the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Austrailia.Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport(Photo: Al Bello Getty Images)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Amy Van Dyken Rouen, a six-time Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer, is in an intensive-care unit in Scottsdale, Ariz. after injuries suffered in an all-terrain vehicle accident, according to the Arizona Republic.

Amy's brother, David Van Dyken, posted on Facebook that Amy was airlifted to Osborn Medical Center after suffering an injury in the ATV accident Friday.

Her husband, former Denver Broncos punter Tom Rouen, said she suffered a broken back. The Associated Press reported that she severed her spine. A letter from the Van Dyken and Rouen families said she severed her spinal cord at the T11 vertebrae and that the broken vertebrae came within millimeters of rupturing her aorta.

It's an accident that's changed the course of Amy Van Dyken's life. 9NEWS Medical Expert Doctor John Torres said it's a tough injury to come back from.

"The spinal cord itself, the nerves there, got severed. It means the signals are getting from her brain to right about here in her body, but beyond that, no signal is getting down," said 9News Medical Expert Dr. John Torres.

The ATV crash happened on Friday in Show Low, Arizona, about 180 miles east of Phoenix. Van Dyken's family said her husband was with her at the time and helped keep her stable before paramedics arrived.

Show Low police officers, according to their report, were dispatched to the Torreon Golf Club at 7:55 p.m. Friday after receiving a 911 call about Van Dyken Rouen's accident.

Van Dyken Rouen was conscious but having trouble breathing and without feeling in her legs. A witness saw Van Dyken Rouen driving an ATV through a parking lot and "launch over" a curb. She was not wearing a helmet. The witness said he ran to Van Dyken Rouen, found her unresponsive and called 911.

Rouen became the first U.S. woman to win four golds at one Olympics. She overcame asthma to win the 50-meter freestyle and 100 butterfly at the 1996 Olympics. She also was on two winning relay teams. Rouen added two more Olympic relay golds in 2000.

Olympic swimmer Amy Van Dyken-Rouen, flanked by Craig Hospital CEO Mike Fordyce (right) and her husband Tom Rouen talks with members of the media about inspirational staff and fellow patients on the day of her discharge from Craig Hospital, in Englewood, Colo., Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014. (Photo: AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Six-time Olympic gold medal swimmer Amy Van Dyken-Rouen smiles and gestures as she is transferred to her room after arriving at Craig Hospital, in Englewood, Colo. on June 18, 2014. (Photo: Brennan Linsley AP)

Former Olympic swimming champion Amy Van Dyken-Rouen leaves the ambulance before chatting with the media in the hanger before going on an Angel MedFlight at the Scottsdale Airport on her way to Denver's Craig Hospital, on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. Van Dyken-Rouen severed her spinal cord in an ATV accident on June 6. (Photo: Charlie Leight/azcentral sports)

Former Olympic swimming champion Amy Van Dyken-Rouen talks with the media in the hanger before going on an Angel MedFlight at the Scottsdale Airport on her way to Denver's Craig Hospital, on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. (Photo: Charlie Leight/azcentral sports)

Former Olympic swimming champion Amy Van Dyken-Rouen, with her neuro surgeon Luis Manuel Tumialan, talks with the media in the hanger before going on an Angel MedFlight at the Scottsdale Airport on her way to Denver's Craig Hospital, on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. (Photo: Charlie Leight/azcentral sports)

Former Olympic swimming champion Amy Van Dyken-Rouen, listens to her neurologic surgeon Luis Manuel Tumialan explain the severity of her injury in the hanger before going on an Angel MedFlight at the Scottsdale Airport on her way to Denver's Craig Hospital, on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. (Photo: Charlie Leight/azcentral sports)

Former Olympic swimming champion Amy Van Dyken-Rouen is moved to tears as she talks with the media in the hanger before going on an Angel MedFlight at the Scottsdale Airport on her way to Denver's Craig Hospital, on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. (Photo: Charlie Leight/azcentral sports)

Former Olympic swimming champion Amy Van Dyken-Rouen gets a hug from her husband Tom Rouen before being loaded on the Angel MedFlight Lear Jet 35, at the Scottsdale Airport on her way to Denver's Craig Hospital, on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. (Photo: Charlie Leight/azcentral sports)

Former Olympic swimming champion Amy Van Dyken-Rouen gets a hug from her husband Tom Rouen before being loaded on the Angel MedFlight Lear Jet 35, at the Scottsdale Airport on her way to Denver's Craig Hospital, on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. (Photo: Charlie Leight/azcentral sports)

Tom Rouen talks about his wife, former Olympic swimming champion Amy Van Dyken-Rouen at the Scottsdale Airport on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. Van Dyken-Rouen is on an Angel MedFlight on her way to Denver's Craig Hospital for rehab therapy. (Photo: Charlie Leight/azcentral sports)

Sept. 16, 2000: Swimmers Amy Van Dyken, Dana Torres, Courtney Shealy, and Jenny Thompson receive their medals after winning the Women's 4X100m Freestyle Relay final at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre. The US women's 4X100m Freestyle Relay team finished first with a new world record time. (Photo: Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports)

July 31, 1996: Amy Van Dyken of the USA poses for a studio portrait with her four Gold Medals during the 1996 Olympic Games at Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Van Dyken was injured in an accident on her all-terrain vehicle in Arizona. A hospital spokeswoman didn't provide details Monday on the injuries. The swimmer was hurt Friday night, June 6, 2014, and told emergency workers at the scene she could not move her toes or feel anything touching her legs. (Photo: Simon Bruty /Allsport)

Sept. 16, 2000: US swimmers Amy Van Dyken, Dara Torres, and Courtney Shealy yell as teammate Jenny Thompson nears the finish of the Women's 4X100m Freestyle Relay final at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre. The US women's 4X100m Freestyle Relay team finished first with a new world record time. (Photo: Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports)

Sept. 16, 2000: US swimmers Amy Van Dyken, Dara Torres, and Courtney Shealy yell as teammate Jenny Thompson nears the finish of the Women's 4X100m Freestyle Relay final at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre. The US women's 4X100m Freestyle Relay team finished first with a new world record time. (Photo: Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports)

Sept. 16, 2000: Swimmers Amy Van Dyken, Dana Torres, Courtney Shealy, and Jenny Thompson taste some "gold " after winning the Women's 4X100m Freestyle Relay final at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre. The US women's 4X100m Freestyle Relay team finished first with a new world record time. (Photo: Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports)

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Van Dyken Rouen has tweeted twice since the injury occurred on Friday including a picture that she says her niece and nephew drew for her.

The Arizona Republic was the first to report Van Dyken's injury. Swimming World Magazine posted a statement from the family saying she has a long road to recovery ahead.

Van Dyken was a standout swimmer both at Cherry Creek High School and later at Colorado State University. John Mattos coached her at CSU and in the run-up to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, where she won two gold medals.

"Amy is probably one of the toughest people I know," Mattos said. "She never backs down and she is going to use this whole thing as a challenge."

She has lived in Arizona in recent years, working in local radio and later nationally for Fox Sports Radio. She swam for the University of Arizona for two years before transferring back to her home state to attend Colorado State. She was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Committee Hall of Fame in 2008.

Missy Franklin released the following statement on Van Dyken Rouen's accident:

It was so hard to hear about the horrific accident Amy was in. I immediately started praying for her and her family, and was so happy knowing she was tweeting from the hospital and had such an outpouring of support from the swimming and Colorado community. I will continue praying for her and a speedy recovery, and know that Amy will be on many people's hearts over the next few weeks.